This disclosure relates to a pedestrian protection automotive hinge.
The automotive industry is expanding its adoption of pedestrian protection features on automobiles. One such feature is to make the front of the vehicle, in particular the hood, more compliant during a frontal impact with a pedestrian.
One approach for absorbing a pedestrian impact with the hood is to deploy actuators associated with the hood hinges to raise the hood slightly, creating a crumple zone between the hood and the engine compartment. Typically pyrotechnical actuators common with other vehicle safety systems such as seat belt pre-tensioners are used.
Since the hinges need to maintain their normal function, the hinges incorporate a release assembly, which retains desired structural relationship between the hinge's components during a normal hinge operating state, but selectively enables certain elements of the hinge to move relative to one another when the actuators are deployed. Once the hood is raised slightly during a pedestrian impact event, the hood must be held ajar since the pyrotechnical actuators release pressure after actuation (for safety reasons) and are unable to maintain the hood in this slightly opened position.
Another approach, in vehicles with smaller displacement engines, leaves the hood closed during a pedestrian impact event. A sufficient crumple zone between the closed hood and the small engine permits the hood to collapse into the engine compartment without the need of an actuator during a pedestrian impact.
One example hood hinge for small engine applications utilizes a pair of linkages interconnecting upper and lower hinges. One of the linkages includes an elongated slot within which a clip is held. The clip receives a pin that acts as a pivot point during normal hinge and hood operation. During a pedestrian impact event, the clip breaks permitting the pin to move upward in the slot as the hood collapses.